Kansas City, St. Louis voters renew cities' earnings taxes

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Voters in Missouri's two biggest cities again have overwhelmingly renewed the decades-old earnings tax.

The tax requires those who work in Kansas City or St. Louis to pay a 1 percent tax on their pay. Because nonresidents also must pay, thousands of commuters from the neighboring states of Kansas and Illinois are affected.

Kansas City voters signed off on the renewal Tuesday by roughly a 3-to-1 margin. Seventy-two percent of the ballots cast in St. Louis were in favor of the measure. Voters will revisit the matter in five years.

Supporters said losing the revenue would mean cuts in services. Opponents counter that the tax is unfair and drives businesses and workers to the suburbs, and that eliminating it would force the cities to weed out fraud and redundant services.